Spoiler warning: This post will contain text and an image that spoils a key moment of Marvel’s Thunderbolts*!
Even though Avengers: Doomsday has officially begun production, Victor von Doom himself, Robert Downey Jr. and some fellow cast members took time out of their schedule to catch the latest MCU installment, Thunderbolts*, showing their support while also passing the torch (not the human kind).
RDJ recently posted on his Instagram a picture from a private screening of Thunderbolts* that he, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Channing Tatum (Gambit), Simu Liu (Xu Shang-Chi), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Winston Duke (M’Baku), and Anthony Mackie (Captain America) sat down for. Another image shows that group joined by Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing) and Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman). He captioned his post, “Just wow!!! Dinner and a show with the Old Avengers. So cool, fresh, and deep. Big congrats.”
Some have criticized Downey, Jr. for spoiling a huge moment in Thunderbolts* wherein it’s revealed that the asterisk was in the title to later brand them the New Avengers, a pivotal turning point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s fair enough, as Thunderbolts* has only been out for a few days and didn’t exactly blow up the box office on opening weekend. Even still, it’s undoubtedly cool that the cast of Avengers: Doomsday made it a priority to help bridge the movies, as Thunderbolts* concludes Phase Five while Doomsday and Secret Wars are both part of Phase Six, which kicks off this summer with The Fantastic Four: The First Steps.View this post on Instagramsponsored content
What’s sort of comical about the whole situation is that Marvel has been trying to put the Mjölnir down on cast members who spoil movies. Granted, this is usually ahead of the film’s release, whereas Thunderbolts* is now out for the masses. Even still, it does seem like a slip-up on RDJ’s part, albeit not at the level of, say, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Holland.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on May 1st, 2026 while its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars arrives on May 7th, 2027. In between those will be Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31st, 2026.
Which upcoming Phase Six movie are you most looking forward to?
